


Woody Gifts

by Suli



Series: Soft Liquorice [4]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, also more on jeonghan's work in the next fic uwu, i'm making the jihoon has stars in his eyes a permanent thing in this fic, park days
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-29 19:10:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15735609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suli/pseuds/Suli
Summary: "What are you doing Liquorice?" asked Jihoon, sitting down to pull the happily purring tortie into his lap, giggling as she nuzzled her head against his fingers. "Are you protecting us from all the vicious leaves?"





	Woody Gifts

**Author's Note:**

> i should technically be asleep but i really wanted to finish this cuz i've been working on it for an embarrassingly long time

The world was as silent as though it had been wiped clean in the night. The sun hadn't yet risen above the horizon line and the world outside the window was dark, like a scene out of an old black and white movie. Reading the clock by Jeonghan's bedside was the only way to tell the exact time of night, its digital face reading half past four on a Saturday morning.

 

So why on earth were Jeonghan and Jihoon startled awake by strange, crunching sounds coming from their balcony?

 

"Did you hear that too or am I still dreaming?" asked Jeonghan, still half asleep after a long day at the office.

"Yeah I heard it," replied Jihoon, propping himself up on an elbow, hair a tousled mess. "What is that?"

"I dunno," slurred Jeonghan, eyes already fluttering shut, placing a lazy hand on Jihoon's arm. "Probably nothing. Go back to sleep Hoonie."

The crunching sound came again, loud, clear, and crisp.

"I'm gonna check it out," decided Jihoon, swinging his legs off the bed.

"Jihoon..." started Jeonghan, worried but fatigue impeding his reaction.

"I'll be quick, okay?" consoled Jihoon, squeezing Jeonghan's hand in comfort.

"Be careful," called Jeonghan, voice tired and almost swallowed up by the darkness.

 

As Jihoon stepped foot in the living room, he was immediately reminded of those thick, velvety curtains he had seen in theatres. The darkness was so thick and inky he was almost entirely unable to see past his nose. Shielding his eyes in anticipation of the stinging, he turned to the light switch and flicked it. The room was immediately bathed in a warm but rather unnatural glow. The light stung at Jihoon's eyes, making them scrunch up, especially considering the dark contrast of the outside world an hour before dawn.

When he was through blinking the stinging away, it didn't take much detective work to piece together the source of the strange sounds. His ears guided him to the balcony almost instantaneously, where he was met with an all too familiar bobbed tail sticking out of a small pile of freshly fallen autumn leaves.

And all Jihoon could think was, 'How?'

 

Liquorice backed out of the leaf pile, and either ignored Jihoon or didn't even notice him. She appeared laser-focused on the pile, ears alert, eyes wide and unmoving, body close to the ground. Without so much as a tiny squeak, she pounced, a small collection of amber leaves caught tightly between her jaws. Rolling onto her back, she kicked at the leaves with her back paws, much like she did her various mouse toys.

Jihoon didn't even try to be even a little irritated at her. When he walked onto the balcony, a fond smile on his face, Liquorice trotted happily towards him, the leaves still in her mouth. She placed them down at his feet proudly, making herself comfortable as Jihoon gently started scratching behind her ears.

"What are you doing Liquorice?" asked Jihoon, sitting down to pull the happily purring tortie into his lap, giggling as she nuzzled her head against his fingers. "Are you protecting us from all the vicious leaves?"

Jihoon's shoulders bounced as he giggled at Liquorice small, squeaky response, turning slowly when he heard the balcony door slide open. Jeonghan leaned against the wall, hair a mess, lips curled into a small, tired smile. His eyes were slightly swollen from just getting out of bed, but their warmth and fondness were present as ever.

 

"You two look cozy," he said softly, a hint of teasing to his voice. "What are you up to?"

"Liquorice hunts leaves," beamed Jihoon, holding up Liquorice's pile of orange kills.

Jeonghan's smile widened, his eyes crinkling affectionately. Sighing contentedly, he looked out at the early morning sky. Dawn was only just starting to break, mere hints of pink and orange streaking the still dark sky.

"You know what this means?" he started, still staring wistfully at the beautiful autumn sky.

"What?" asked Jihoon, voice a whisper. Liquorice was purring loudly in his lap, already drifting away to dreamland.

"It means, my love," replied Jeonghan, locking eyes with Jihoon, "That it's about time we have a park day."

 

~

 

"Did you have to bring work with you?" asked Jihoon exasperatedly.

When they first got Liquorice, taking her to the park was a challenge. She'd refuse to wear her harness and her collar with her name and address on it, even though it was for her wellbeing. But once she'd gotten used to them and managed to make it to the park safely (if not somewhat tentatively), the challenge became getting her to leave. She loved climbing the trees, chasing the colorful butterflies, and napping in the warm spots of sunshine.

Jihoon and Jeonghan couldn't blame her for loving the park. There was always slight breeze, one that rustled the leaves, causing them to make the most calming crinkling sound. The air was warm, but never suffocatingly so. There was no shortage of vibrant, beautiful flowers; each one unique and beautiful in its own special way. It was quite a quiet park, the sound of children playing faint, soft, and not unpleasant in any way.

 

And that was exactly why Jihoon could not seem to understand why Jeonghan felt the need to make edits to a short story entry right in their idyllic paradise.

 

"I'm sorry darling," replied Jeonghan, eyes apologetic. "The big boss has really been laying it down on me all week. I need to get this done."

"At least take a couple of hours to rest..."

Placing a warm palm against the side of his head, Jeonghan leaned in to kiss Jihoon, the contact soft, sweet, and warmer than any ray of sunlight.

"I will," promised Jeonghan. "I'll only work on this for a little bit, okay?"

 

Jihoon huffed and sat back, a small pout on his lips. However, it didn't last long; the crisp autumn air blowing against his face and through his hair instantly brought a content and relaxed smile to his face. They never had to do much when visiting the park, simply being in each other's company was enough. It was blissful: no obligations, no pressures, no worries. Jihoon closed his eyes, resting his head back against the giant, beautiful tree they were leaning against, and let the feeling of peace and serenity wash over him and course through his veins.

Just under ten minutes had passed before Jihoon felt a nudge at his hand. Opening his eyes slowly, he saw none other than little Liquorice sitting down by his side, eyes full of pride and her bobbed, fluffy tail twitching happily as she presented to him a leaf as though it were the most beautiful flower, though there was little doubt that the leaf itself was beautiful. It was a gorgeous, warm amber color. He ran his fingers against the smooth edges as he traced the intricate veins with his eyes. It smelt woody and comforting and felt soft and velvety: all the senses Jihoon associated with going to a park on a beautiful autumn's day.

 

"Jeonghan!" exclaimed Jihoon as he tapped his boyfriend's arm excitedly. "Look at what Liquorice brought us!"

Jeonghan's eyes appeared to melt into a puddle of honey as his gaze shifted between their beloved tortie, Jihoon's smiling eyes, and the beautiful amber leaf. "Our baby gave you that?"

Jihoon nodded his head ecstatically, the brightest, widest smile on his face.

"This may just be the cutest thing she has ever done... And that's saying a lot," said Jeonghan, so overwhelmed with affection his voice dropped to a whisper.

 

Satisfied with the reaction Jeonghan and Jihoon gave her, Liquorice scurried off to where she had previously been playing. Every so often, she'd come back to the big, old tree to place another leaf by Jihoon's hand. Soon enough, Jeonghan and Jihoon ended up with a small pile of beautiful leaves that were every shade of orange and red.

"Where is she getting all these?" asked Jeonghan, work long forgotten.

"I don't know," replied Jihoon, the stars in his eyes shining brighter than ever before. "You wanna find out?"

 

The sight the couple was met with as they observed their darling tortie from a distance was one they'd never forget. As she was doing that same morning, Liquorice was, quite literally, hunting leaves. She would stay low to the ground, eyes wide and ears alert, and then pounce on the leaf just before the wind blew it away. Some small flowers even managed to get in the mix. But what was even more endearing was the way Liquorice made her own little pile of leaves, a pile of ambers, reds, and even some greens from which she would select the best leaves to present to her beloved family.

 

And Jeonghan and Jihoon couldn't help but melt because their cat was an absolute genius.

 

"Oh my god," whispered Jeonghan, incredulous.

"S-she doesn't want to hunt actual living creatures so she's hunting leaves," mumbled Jihoon, a look of unadulterated love and admiration on his face.

"I'm sure of it now, this is hands down the cutest thing she has ever done."

"Definitely."

"Hey," started Jeonghan, gently nudging Jihoon's shoulder, "It'd be a waste to have her collect all these leaves only for us to do nothing with them."

"I like where you're going with this," encouraged Jihoon, a smile brightening up his entire face.

 

And so the two started collecting fallen twigs, sitting down right in the middle of a warm sunspot to start making their masterpieces. Before long, the fresh, crisp grass was covered in intricate patterns that truly paid homage to the new autumn season. The warm shades of the leaves caught the light in the most beautiful way, reflecting warmth and comfort to the entire park.

And of course, Jihoon kept the leaves and flowers he found particularly beautiful for himself and for Jeonghan. As he focused on making his patterns, he smiled at the thought of drying them in Jeonghan's favorite books, leaving a small gift for his beloved boyfriend whenever he chose to read them.

 

A beautiful way to honor a beautiful day.

**Author's Note:**

> listen i love liquorice so much I HAVE LITERALLY FALLEN IN LOVE WITH A FICTIONAL CAT I CREATED HELP


End file.
